


More than it hurts you

by statuscrows



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Blood and Violence, M/M, Manga Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-04
Updated: 2018-05-04
Packaged: 2019-05-01 17:40:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14525841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/statuscrows/pseuds/statuscrows
Summary: Kurapika has his nen stolen. It's all downhill from there.





	More than it hurts you

**Author's Note:**

> uh i started writing this fic before the most recent chapters confirmed that chrollo was actually on the boat looking for hisoka so we're just gonna pretend that they didn't happen. okay? cool

"Are you sure you don't need any more rest?" Melody asked. She had a hand against the doorframe, only partially inside of his room. "You've been working pretty hard for the last few days."

"It's fine, really." Kurapika stood in front of the mirror, fixing his tie. "I got almost a full night's sleep so I'm feeling much better now."

Melody gave him a small smile in the mirror. "Your heart does sound a little more relaxed. You've been worrying me lately."

"I'm sorry for that. Maybe once things have calmed down I'll—" Kurapika blinked.

"Kurapika? Is something wrong?"

"Just a moment," he said. He turned back to the mirror and focused.

His eyes flickered red, and then returned to grey.

"Kurapika?" The sudden racing of his heart was probably loud to her.

"Melody, would you mind going on ahead?" Kurapika said. "I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Please, I'll be right behind you."

He watched Melody leave in the reflection and waited until she'd shut the door gently behind her before he tried again. Once more his eyes flickered red and then returned to their normal color.

Kurapika ran a hand over his face. He'd been so sure that whatever was going on with his eyes had only come from sleep deprivation but a night's rest had done nothing. Despite what he'd said to Melody he wasn't feeling particularly well rested. It didn't seem to matter how much or little sleep he got, he rarely felt well rested. But that wasn't what was bothering him.

It'd been days and he still couldn't get his eyes to stay red for longer than a few seconds. It didn't seem to have been triggered by anything, it'd just started a couple days earlier out of nowhere. He could deal with being worn out, stressed, even badly injured, but being unable to fight was unacceptable. Maybe he would consider talking to Leorio about it. If there were something going on with his brain it'd be better to just get it sorted out before his work was seriously effected.

There was a soft knock at his door.

"Just a second," Kurapika called. He tried again, focusing his emotions the way he normally did but it didn't work. They shifted into red for only about a second or two before returning to normal. With a resigned sigh he put in his contacts, more out of habit than anything else, and frowned at his reflection.

There was another knock. "Yes, yes, I'm coming," Kurapika said, heading for the door.

 

 

When he awoke, Kurapika was greeted by a massive headache, stiff muscles, and the vague feeling of swaying that came with life aboard a boat.

He was much more disoriented than a deep sleep should've left him. It took almost a minute for the room to stop spinning enough for him see that he was laying down on the floor somewhere unfamiliar. He could hear what sounded like loud mechanical noises outside of the room he was in, but he couldn't tell if they were coming from the other side of the heavy metal door or above him. Kurapika was still wearing the suit he'd picked out earlier and the room was so stuffy and hot that his clothes clung to him. Confused, Kurapika moved to sit up.

Only to fall over immediately.

Kurapika blinked his dry eyes. He couldn't move very much. He was tied up, no, he was _chained_ _down_ across his entire body. From his ankles up to his shoulders he was pinned with his hands stuck behind his back. Kurapika's heart skipped a beat when he realized that he was no stranger to the chains tied around him. It was Judgement Chain restricting his strength and his movements.

"Oh hell." Kurapika struggled but managed to do nothing but roll himself onto his back. It was completely dark except for a small flickering light that came in through under the door. He couldn't tell the exact dimensions of the room but he guessed it wasn't large. The last thing he remembered was hearing a knock at his door. He couldn't remember what'd happened after that.

 _Had one of the other prince's bodyguards gotten to him?_ he wondered. _Was Woble safe?_

The heat was intense and combined with the chains it made it feel as though he was being suffocated. Kurapika closed his eyes in the dark and breathed slowly. Panicking wouldn't do him any good in this situation.

After a while he felt his mind slip back into a place of calm and tried to consider what was going on. A possibility entered his mind, an answer that would explain why his own powers were being used against him, but he didn't let himself continue his train of thought. Of all the people that could've kidnapped him on this boat why the hell would _he_ be one of them?

Despite how pointless it felt he tried to get one of his hands free from the chains. Kurapika wasn't sure how long he was at it before he heard the sound of the doorknob being jiggled and then turned. There didn't seem to be any point in calling out. Either they'd see him as soon as they walked in or they'd put him down there in the first place.

A man's silhouette appeared at the door. Kurapika was quiet as the door shut behind him. He caught the click of a light switch.

And there was Chrollo, staring down at him.

With some effort Kurapika kept his surprise and his anger off his face. Oddly enough it seemed as though Chrollo were doing much the same thing. His expression was cold and tight, as though he were holding back a flood of emotion. He didn't speak.

"Where are we?" Kurapika asked.

In no particular rush, Chrollo pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat. It wasn't very noticeable but his hands were shaking. "Unused closet in the engine room." Chrollo let out a slow breath. His confusion must’ve been apparent because Chrollo continued, "It doesn't particularly matter if you know that. You won't be leaving this room alive."

Behind his back Kurapika's right hand slipped free from the chain. Chrollo raised a hand, a hand clad in Kurapika's chains, and the binding wound itself tighter. There wasn't nearly as much wiggle room this time.

"I'd like to keep the civil part of this interaction brief if you don't mind," Chrollo said. "So I only have one question for you."

"Whatever you want to know I guarantee you'll get nothing from me," Kurapika said.

Chrollo smiled slightly. "I do have to say I tried. What were Shalnark and Kortopi's last words?"

Kurapika blinked. "I wasn't aware they were dead."

"That's what I figured you'd say." Chrollo flicked away ash. "For obvious reasons I'm not inclined to believe you."

"I don't have a reason to lie about that. I'm very proud of the fact that I killed your friend Uvo –"

Kurapika's head snapped backwards as Chrollo kicked him swiftly under the chin. He took one choked breath as his mouth filled with blood and then began coughing.

Chrollo took a long drag from his cigarette. "Sorry. Fresh wounds. Please, continue."

Kurapika blinked a few times, trying to reorient himself. There was blood running down his chin. "I'm not…a coward. I don't intend to hide from my deeds."

"You see if I knew anything about your character such a bold declaration might mean something to me. But all I know about you is that you're decent at deception, willing to get children involved in your murder schemes, and that you want me and everyone I care about dead."

"If you knew anything about the people you massacred 7 years ago you'd know that unlike you and your pack of murderous thugs, we actually have honor."

With a boot Chrollo forced Kurapika to tilt his chin. "Well _you're people_ aren't locked in a closet with a man who's currently deciding where to dump a corpse. You are. So I'd say all things considered you have at least one very good reason to lie to me."

"I'm not afraid of you, thief."

"It doesn't matter if you're scared of me or not," Chrollo said. "You're still going to die."

"I'm not afraid to die either."

Chrollo scoffed. "No, I didn't think you would be. What was that old Confucius quote? Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves?"

“Uvogin taught me a lot about digging graves. But by my math I still have ten left before I'll be getting to my own."

Chrollo went still, his expression frozen.

"Nine actually," he said. "Pakunoda died telling the other spiders about you and your nen."

"Nice of her to save me the trouble."

Chrollo stamped out his cigarette. "You know what's interesting about your chains? Even though I can effectively end any restrictions by getting rid of your nen, it doesn't stop me from using them to strengthen these chains. Feel free to try to escape if you'd like, I have a few things to get done."

Before the door closed Kurapika heard him add, "And if I stick around then I'm just going to give you the quick death that you don't deserve."

 

 

True to his word, Chrollo left him alone after that. The conjured chain became invisible as soon as he was gone but from how little tugging Kurapika felt there seemed to be a lot of slack between the two of them. He was probably using _in_. Chrollo's absence would've been a relief if he hadn't been left in the dark. Kurapika had done his best to memorize everything about the room but there was very little that seemed useful. From all of the dust free spaces on certain shelves, he guessed that Chrollo had removed anything that might be remotely helpful for an escape. And while there was a vent it was incredibly small. If he'd still had a nen beast he could've sent it to get help.

Belatedly, Kurapika wondered how Chrollo's power worked. He'd figured out how to use Judgment Chain in a relatively short period of time but did he have access to all of Kurpaika's nen? Would he be able to use Kurapika's Specialist abilities?

He wasn't sure how much time passed before Chrollo returned, carrying a duffle bag over one shoulder. He'd taken off his coat as well so he was left in a plain black shirt. He dropped the bag down by Kurapika's head. Kurapika wasn't eager to find out what was inside.

"My chain has the ability to sense lies," Kurapika said. "It's in the one on your ring finger. If you want proof that I'm not responsible for your other friend's death, then that's where you'll get it."

"I'm not nearly talented enough to use that yet," Chrollo said, crouching down at his side. Kurapika tried his best to shift away. "I've only had your nen for half a day, and I don't intend to keep you alive long enough to learn how that'd work. So unfortunately for you..."

Chrollo grabbed his face roughly by the chin, holding it straight.

"We're going to be doing something else."

Kurapika tried to turn his face but found the chain near his chest suddenly shifting to squeeze his throat.

Chrollo leaned forward on his knees. "I would recommend laying very still unless you'd like this to be more unpleasant than it needs to be."

"What are you -- _gh_!." Kurapika startled when Chrollo pressed two fingers along his face and used them to hold his eye open. "Get your hands off me!"

"You're very bad at following orders," Chrollo mumbled. The chains around his throat squeezed tighter until Kurapika could barely breathe. "I said hold still."

Slowly losing oxygen, Kurapika tried to think about what option would be worse; staying still to let himself be mutilated or struggling and making it worse. He tried to jerk one of his wrists forward but was getting dizzy and starting to see black spots. His body trembled with the effort of not moving as Chrollo dragged one finger along his eye and pulled out his contact.

"There."

Kurapika gasped, trying to catch his breath as Chrollo let go.

"I figured those were probably getting itchy."

"Lying bastard."

"I suppose that makes us two of a kind. Hold still again."

Kurapika clenched his fists but didn't move. From this close Chrollo looked paler than he'd been when they'd last met and there were dark bags under his eyes.

"I'm surprised to see your eyes are still grey, given your temper," Chrollo said, removing the other contact.

Kurapika didn't answer him. As irritating as his problem was he was oddly grateful for it now. Even still his vision had gone red several times in the past few hours.

"Now then. Hm." Chrollo sat down beside him. "I know I learned your name at some point, but I can't seem to remember it."

Kurapika's face twitched. "I suppose knowing my name is beneath you?"

"No, I just couldn't really care less who the hell you are. You aren't the first person to try and come after us for revenge and you likely won't be the last. You've been particularly successful but even so I have no desire to learn about you or study you."

He couldn't turn his head but he could hear Chrollo rummaging through his bag.

"Kurapika," he finally said. "That's what your name is. Kurapika, would you like to hear a story? I'm sure you'll enjoy this one."

"Is your plan to bore me to death?"

"Not exactly." His smile felt forced. "Let's see around...seven years ago. That's how long you said it was, right? There was this little girl. I assume she was around 8 or 9, hair was a little darker than your color and very curly. We had trouble getting the color in her eyes to stay red."

Kurapika's eyes widened.

"Machi had been going at it for a while but for whatever reason her eyes would only flicker, no matter how badly we hurt her. It was unfortunate for her. She wouldn't have suffered for long if she could control her eyes as well as you.”

The chains rattled as Kurapika tried to jerk his hands free again. "Shut the hell up."

“It wasn't until later when Feitan suggested torturing her mother instead that we finally got results. Her mother's eyes had turned red before we'd even touched her daughter so there wasn't necessarily much reason to harm her any further, but it'd be a waste to just leave the girl's eyes. Sure enough Feitan cut off one of her fingers and the girl's eyes stayed red." Chrollo's voice grew colder. "When it came to couples without children we had to find more creative ways to change their eye color. Your parents would've been one of those couples, wouldn't they? As "honorable" as your people are I'm sure they were very happy to have been tortured in your place.”

Kurapika's vision went red. "You son of a _bitch!_ "

With a flash Chrollo moved, holding Kurapika's chin in one hand and a blade in the other. In his building flood of emotions, Kurapika felt his eyes switch back to their normal color.

Kurapika stared up at the knife, back arched and heels pressed into cold concrete in an attempt to escape.

"That's very good." Chrollo lowered the knife. "I was hoping you'd make this hard for me."

"Let me go," he said, voice shaking. Chrollo didn’t. He couldn't move his head but he could turn the rest of his body away.

"That was a quick switch," Chrollo said, as though it were a genuine compliment.

"If the lives of my people are a game to you then I can assure you I have no intention of playing along!"

"No need to be upset. The story was a lie." There was a tug on Kurapika's upper arm and he found himself on his back again. "I genuinely don't remember killing your family And your life was forfeit when you decided to tear my family apart."

"You poor man," Kurapika said bitterly. "I don't know who killed your other friends but believe me when I say I envy them. I hope they enjoyed it and I hope your friends suffered."

Kurapika didn't flinch when the knife slammed into the floor just beside throat. Chrollo's face was flat, though the rage surging through him was palpable in the way it saturated his nen.

"I'm aware that there's a certain level of irony in going on a quest for vengeance against a man on a quest for vengeance." Chrollo grabbed him firmly by the hair. "But I assure you, and I think you'd agree, there's quite a difference between killing your family and my own family being killed."

"And what the hell is the difference?!"

"The difference is that they're _mine_. It's a childish difference and maybe even a sociopathic one but I have never seen the value of lives that aren't related to my own. And since I'm determined to pursue my own truth, for now that means hurting you to the point where you pray for death, cutting out one of your eyes, and then perhaps using one of the other nen powers I've stolen to make you kill your friends."

Kurapika swung forward and slammed his forehead into Chrollo's face. Chrollo staggered back a few steps but didn't fall. Blood flowed down from his nose.

Chrollo's shoulders shook as he laughed. "You're a simple person Kurapika, and I'm sure that you must care about your friends, at least in the abstract if you aren't willing to actually care for them. It's taking me some time but I will track down everyone you love and they _will_ die."

 

 

If Kurapika were capable of falling asleep he knew he'd have dreamed of the massacre. Luckily he was much too angry and much too anxious to do more than stare into darkness and think. Nearly three days of trying to get his eyes to stay red and now he had to keep them grey no matter what.

 

 

He wasn't sure what time it was when he suddenly felt the chains start to loosen.

Kurapika was surprised it'd taken this long but it looked like Chrollo was finally starting to fall asleep. He likely assumed the chain would stay in place like the one that Kurapika had used on his heart. Without a restriction to keep them anchored or some level of conscious thought they would vanish like any other Conjured weapon.

Kurapika shook the chains loose and stood up, feeling his stiff muscles protest. It was a miscalculation for Chrollo and he intended to make sure it was a fatal one.

Remembering where the switch was, Kurapika turned the light back on. Even if he wasn't able to use his nen, training at Killua's place meant that he was more than strong enough to break down the door, even if it was reinforced.

But immediately after having this thought Kurapika noticed that there were strange symbols printed on the door; dozens of them covering nearly every inch of it. They were moon patterns inside a plain circle. There was a bizarre quality about them that made it feel as though they hadn't simply been drawn or stamped on. Had someone from the boat done this?

"What the hell," Kurapika said to himself. There was another one on the light switch. He looked down at his hands.

There were similar symbols there, only they were of the sun. His skin didn't feel tender enough for the symbols to have been tattooed on. If he hadn't known where the light switch was, if he'd groped along the walls with his hands, he would likely have pressed the marks against the ones on the switch, instead of flicking it on with one finger.

Kurapika took several steps back from the door.

Perhaps Chrollo hadn't miscalculated

 

 

"I wouldn't touch those if I were you," Chrollo said to him a short while later. Kurapika hadn't heard him approach but before Chrollo had entered his chains had reappeared.

"I assumed as much."

"Just a small precaution to keep you from getting any bad ideas." Chrollo sat down opposite him, back to the door. It seemed as though whatever the trap was it wouldn't hurt him at least.

"You know I'd forgotten how beautiful they looked." Kurapika said nothing and kept his expression neutral. Chrollo continued. "The Scarlet Eyes, I mean. Obviously. It's been awhile and memory is such a flawed thing. I can see why I didn't mind killing for them."

"It doesn't seem as though you need any reason at all to kill."

"I'd call my threshold low but I suppose I've killed people for less. Well, it's not particularly important. I didn't come here to talk about that anyway." He pulled a folded up sheet of paper from his pocket. "Do you remember Neon Nostrade's power?"

He did. He'd also heard about what happened to the Nostrade family when Neon's nen had suddenly stopped working. Sitting there it became pretty clear where her powers had gone.

"Do you want to know what it says?"

"I'm sure you'll waste my time with it no matter what I say."

Chrollo chuckled and got to his feet. "Most of it has already come true so it doesn't really matter. The last line is the only one that really concerns us now. It's an answer to the question, how do I make Kurapika's eyes turn red?"

The chains around Kurapika's wrists rattled and he was pulled to his feet. The chain wrapped around an exposed pipe on the ceiling and lifted him upwards. On instinct Kurapika flailed, trying to steady himself, but Chrollo pulled him onto his toes. It was useless. If he didn't have the physical strength to break his own chain earlier he certainly didn't have it now.

"Would you like to take a guess?" The fury in Chrollo's cold eyes hadn't abated in the time he'd been gone. "’Scarlet eyes awaken at the Spider's touch’. That's what it says. I believe the fortune meant that very literally."

With his weight hanging on the chains, Kurapika couldn't move effectively. He could swing to a degree but his ankles were still bound together. Chrollo tugged at his belt, not teasing nor cruel, but very businesslike as he undid it.

"What, nothing snippy to say?" Chrollo tugged the pants down his hips but didn't bother going further. "You're awfully chatty when it comes to your family but you've got nothing to say for yourself?"

"The worst thing you could possibly do to me has already been done," Kurapika said, closing his eyes. He's surprised to find that he doesn't have to fake his lack of strong feelings for what’s about to happen. He's disgusted but he isn't scared. Neon's predictions didn't need to come true if he knew what they were ahead of time.

"The more you talk about not caring if you live or die the more I think we have a lot in common. In another life you'd have made an excellent spider."

Kurapika knew he was being provoked but he felt his rage surfacing all the same. Chrollo had a hand on his hip to keep him still but he tried to lean away all the same. He was much too close to Chrollo's body. If he were capable of lowering his arms they'd land along Chrollo’s shoulders. 

Chrollo kneaded at him through his underwear and Kurapika tensed. He knew he was already doing a terrible job of keeping his face straight at Chrollo's touch. It was slow and firm touch, as though Chrollo were taking it easy on him. Kurapika was so tired. Not just from those past couple days, but something that'd been building in him for years. Fighting the physical reactions of his body was an uphill battle and it wasn't one that he was ready to fight.

The distant sounds of the engine were still loud, and Kurapika tried to focus on them. The clanging of metal was distracting for a moment before the damned heat in his body and the pressure of Chrollo's hand drew him back to the present.

Chrollo's fingers were cold when they slipped into his underwear and Kurapika instinctively jerked away. "That tough act of yours would be much more convincing if you didn't squirm so much."

Kurapika bit the inside of his cheek. When Chrollo started to jerk him he tasted blood. A strained sound left his throat and he heard Chrollo chuckle.

"Most of the people you're close to are on one of these boats but those kids of yours aren't." Chrollo's hand moved around his back and drew him closer in some mockery of intimacy. Having taken off his suit jacket earlier Kurapika could feel his body through his shirt. "The dark haired one. Gon. He's back with his aunt right now on Whale Island. Despite all that fuss during the election you never did visit him in the hospital, did you?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about," Kurapika snapped

"You're right about that." The scrape of nails along the head of his cock made Kurapika jump. "I wouldn't know anything about abandoning my friends."

Kurapika swallowed down the moan that threatened to escape him. "Damn it. This has nothing to do with them!"

"You know that's not true. All of this has been me hurting the people that you love, and then you hurting the people I love." He reached for Kurapika's face, touching his cheek lightly and tightening his grip. "Open your eyes."

"G-go to hell," Kurapika panted.

"You first, my friend. Open your eyes."

He closed them tighter and felt Chrollo huff out an amused breath. Kurapika was way too close to the edge for such a short amount of time but through his rage and his exhaustion he didn't have it in him to be embarrassed. He knew he didn't want this. He was cornered, and he was weak, but he was not so perverse as to want Chrollo to touch him.

Kurapika took a slow breath. When teaching himself to keep his eyes grey as a child he’d taken to praying to himself. _Sun in the sky, trees on the ground,_ he thought steadily.

Chrollo switched up his hands. He left one hand on his cock and after a moment the other moved below his balls.

" _Ghh_!" He jerked back in surprise at the foreign touch but the movement only spread his trapped legs further for Chrollo's touch. _Our bodies created from earth. Our souls from the heavens._

"Which of your friends would you like to kill first? Your med student would be my pick. He's the only one you care enough about to see. Or was that just because he tracked you down?"

_The sun and moon shines on our limbs. And the ground moistens our body._

His arms burned from being stretched over his head and he could feel himself shaking as Chrollo's finger breached him. He’d hardly moved it to the first knuckle before Kurapika gasped and shuddered. He kept his eyes shut through all of it, feeling his face redden deeply as he came.

"Would you be bothered much if I killed those kids?" Chrollo continued casually. His finger slipped free. "I could maybe have believed it last year but you don't quite seem like the same person."

His orgasm left him too tired to pull away and he sagged towards Chrollo before he could stop himself.

Chrollo let go of his cock. "Open your eyes," he said softly. "Or I can cut off your eyelids if you'd prefer."

The look of genuine surprise on Chrollo's face was extremely satisfying.

"Nice try,” Kurapika said, eyes still grey.

Chrollo made an annoyed sound and turned away.

Kurapika laughed. "Sorry to have wasted your time."

He heard the sound of a bag zipping and what he could only assume was Chrollo wiping his hands. "I wouldn't call that a waste. Just the wrong approach. We both know the future can be changed. Otherwise I'd have lost half the spiders a year ago."

"There's still time for that."

Chrollo sighed. With an inappropriate level of care he tucked Kurapika away. He buttoned his pants up with an odd expression. "Do you want to die Kurapika?"

"I told you already that I'm not scared of you."

"I didn't mean that as a threat, more as an observation." He flinched when Chrollo cupped his cheeks but Chrollo didn't make any threatening movements. "This power of yours was killing you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"'Sand slips through the hourglass as Scarlet Eyes grow stronger.'" Chrollo said. "I wasn't sure what it meant at first but you had a nen restriction in place. I could feel it. And for what? A woman you've been hired to protect and barely know? An expedition that you couldn't care less about? That's worth dying for?"

"I don't need to explain myself."

"It's not that you're brave, you just don't care if you live anymore."

"As if I'd let myself die before killing you!"

"Still not an answer." Chrollo stroked his cheek. Their faces were much too close together. "No need to fear, I promise I'll kill you eventually. Though I'm not kind enough to do it now."

And then he caught Kurapika's lips in a long deep kiss.

Startled and out of his element, Kurapika didn’t think to respond. All that made it through the fog of confusion was that Chrollo's lips were unbelievably soft. He was paralyzed amidst a surge of disgust and indignation at the entire experience.

Chrollo pulled away, his hands still cradling Kurapika as though he were a fragile piece of art. He stared at him for several long seconds and then smiled.

"Your eyes are red."

Kurapika cursed and shut his eyes. He heard Chrollo draw his knife.

The cold tip of a blade tapped against the skin below his right eye. "You'll have to forgive me if I'm a little rusty. It's been a long time and it's much easier working with people once they've been decapitated."

From somewhere behind Chrollo he heard a loud bang.

The knife was gone when Kurapika opened his eyes again. Chrollo was staring at the door behind him. He could vaguely hear the sound of approaching footsteps over the engine's roar. Chrollo's expression darkened.

"Aren't you lucky?" he said, putting away his knife. Relief flooded Kurapika's veins for just a moment before Chrollo placed a hand flat against his chest. Kurapika felt a sudden sharp pain fill his rib cage.

It was the familiar feeling of nen chains around his heart.

"Let's see. First," Chrollo said, "you will not try to kill another spider."

Kurapika glared at him. "You think that'll stop me?"

"Second." Kurapika could hear the irony in his voice. "You will not interact with either your allies here or those two boys. Or you die."

"Bastard."

"Sorry to cut the evening short. I'm sure you can get out of those eventually but enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts." Chrollo leaned up and pressed the softest of kisses to Kurapika's forehead. "Take care. Try not to get yourself killed without me."

There was a short moment where Chrollo did nothing but stare at him before he pulled some kind of communicator out of his bag.

"Detonate."

 

 

Several things happened at once. The ship shook violently as several simultaneous explosions tore through the walls on the right and left of the room they were in. The force of the blast knocked the pipe that he'd been hanging onto out of the ceiling and he fell to the floor hard. The chains around Kurapika's wrists vanished.

More importantly Chrollo disappeared.

 

 

"When Kurapika vanished I kept listening, trying to find his heartbeat but I couldn't," Melody said, loudly enough that he could hear her from outside, where he was sitting against the door. The hint of pain in her voice made guilt wash over him. "Bisky was the one who suggested that maybe he was still alive and a louder sound was drowning him out. When I suddenly heard Chrollo's heartbeat heading towards the engine room I grabbed everyone. I'm just glad he's alright."

He could hear Leorio pacing. "You call this alright?! We can't talk to him and we can't address him without getting him killed. We can't even have a straight conversation with him!"

Kurapika squeezed the bridge of his nose. The sleep deprivation must've been getting to him because there was a headache pounding behind his eyes.

"I know," Melody said softly. "But if Chrollo found a way out of this, Kurapika can too."

Most of her words, though directed at Leorio, were meant for him. Some vulnerable part of him wished he could see Melody while she talked but another larger part of him was glad that he didn't have to make up an excuse for why he couldn't look Melody and Leorio in the eyes. He didn't have to lie to them when he couldn't speak to them.

One of prince Woble's guards walked by him. "What day is it?" Kurapika asked.

"Thursday I think." The man scratched his head. "Actually Friday since it's past midnight."

"I see. The month changed at midnight and he didn't have a prediction prepared."

"Huh?"

Kurapika shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I'm not talking to you."

"He really wasn't hurt or anything?" Leorio asked.

Kurapika's heart sped up. There was a pause after Leorio's question that was small enough to go unnoticed by anyone who didn't know Melody well. He wondered how loud the shame in his heartbeat was.

"He'll be okay," Melody said. "He just needs some time."

 

 

Kurapika switched boats a few hours after that and felt relief at no longer needing to keep himself calm. He couldn't continue to do his job the way he was now. When he got the chance he'd need to commandeer a small boat and get himself back to land.

It was somewhere around 5 in the morning and the deck was completely empty on Kurapika side. "You're off the hook," a voice said. A figure in black leaned against the railing beside him. "I got a call—"

Kurapika drew his gun from the back of his suit. As he was squeezing the trigger Chrollo knocked his gun out of his hand with the back of his fist. The weapon fell over the side of the boat and Kurapika drew his bokken. On the first swing Chrollo shattered it with his elbow.

Down to one bokken and several knives Kurapika swung one of his knives, aiming for Chrollo's chest.

Only Chrollo dropped his hands, forcing Kurapika to stop short of driving the blade through his heart. Chrollo smiled and turned to look back out at the ocean. Slowly, Kurapika lowered the remaining bokken. He walked up to stand next to Chrollo, watching his profile.

"As I was saying, you didn't kill Shalnark and Kortopi."

"I told you as much."

"You did. I finally had it out with Hisoka a while ago. Even though I killed him he's still up to his old ways."

"You knew I didn't kill them from the start. You just needed a target for your rage, like with the auction back in Yorkshin. Say what you will about me but at least I know where to aim my anger.”

Chrollo raised his eyebrows. "Huh. You may be right about that. Well…that's an issue for another time. The point is that I don't particularly want to fight you right now. And I imagine you're about as exhausted as I am."

"You'd be imagining incorrectly," Kurapika said. He turned on his heel and struck Chrollo across the face with his bokken so hard that it snapped as well.

Chrollo staggered back a step and Kurapika tackled him down, drawing another one of his knives. He stabbed it into Chrollo's upper arm when the man got a hand around the back of his neck. If he couldn't kill him without dying himself then he could at least cripple him for life.

He was expecting an attack when Chrollo pulled him downwards and got a kiss instead.

It was still unexpected but this time he recovered quickly. He drew his arm back and slammed his fist into Chrollo's chest. Before he could punch him again Chrollo caught his wrist. He could feel Chrollo smiling against his lips.

"Your eyes are red again," he said. "I thought it might have been what I was saying. You really hate having me kiss you more than anything else I did?"

"Shut up."

"Or is it because you enjoy it?"

Chrollo latched onto his other wrist and surged up to kiss him again. He couldn't pull his wrists away but he bit Chrollo's lip as hard as he could. Chrollo continued to kiss him and it made him so dizzy that he had to pull away to catch a breath before tasting Chrollo again, feeling the person he hated most pant against his lips, as though he were just as hungry for it as Kurapika was.

His body was stiff and tired and he told himself that it was this combination of exhaustion of grief that made kissing Chrollo feel good when it should only have been disgusting and embarrassing. His eyes were still red and a part of him was glad that Neon's prediction had been right. If it meant he could eventually fight again. If it meant he could feel again.

It was year after cold year of hiding away from even the faintest trace of physical affection that turned the gentleness of Chrollo's lips into something that he wanted. It was the allure of giving into his single minded hatred and feeling something that he'd been scared was dwindling, spark anew. It was a lot of other excuses that didn't make Kurapika hate himself any less for loving the way that Chrollo's lips felt against his.

But still, Chrollo was right. He did hate it.

Chrollo pulled away first, letting go of Kurapika's wrists and dropping his head against the deck. Kurapika spat and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

"What do you know," Chrollo said, staring past him. "I hate it too."


End file.
